WEST END STORY: Seamus Cullen, Any Dream Will Do

Julia Hogg

Before entering Any Dream Will Do, Seamus was working in sales and marketing while pursuing his dream of a career in music by working as a backing vocalist, soloist with a range of bands and performing with a gospel choir. During the show the panellists commented on his strong vocals, but highlighted his need to control his nerves, and also the need for him to integrate himself more with the rest of the competitors in order to demonstrate his leading man potential offstage. He was voted off in the third live show, when Andrew Lloyd Webber chose to save Ben James-Ellis instead. Upon leaving, Cullen commented, "I am shocked. I thought I did enough on the individual and group songs, but Ben put in a fantastic performance - the performance of his life - so hats off to him."

After leaving the competition in April 2007, his band Mosquito recorded their debut EP The Crying Girl, and not long after he landed a role in the European touring production of Thriller Live for a seven-week run around the UK, Denmark and Sweden.

Cullen returned to a desk job for a five-month period before landing his biggest role yet in March 2008, taking on the challenge of playing Che in the UK touring production of Bill Kenwright's Evita. He used real-life political conflicts to help inspire the passion and anger in his portrayal, first of all drawing upon conflicts in Zimbabwe and later identifying with the economic issues in the UK itself.

"There is very little difference between the ridiculous nature of the economic inflation we had, everyone getting carried away, everyone sitting on the crest of the wave and now reality hits, which is exactly what happens with Peron," he said.

Cullen finished in Evita on the 12th December 2009 and since then has been continuing his professional development through training with The Actor's Temple.

 

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